Have been popping a bunch of sparklers in the last few months, esp. Prosecco and Cava, with a few champers.... and have really given a workout to my Screwpull Cork Catcher. It's a nifty plastic jobbie that fits over the knob of a sparkler's cork; twist it into place to lock the cork, twist the bottle with the other hand, and Blooey! Out pops the cork. But instead of bouncing off the ceiling, china cabinet or your right eye, the cork is caught by the top of the Cork Catcher. At about $20, I've given away several as gifts in recent years.

Well, popping a champers at Thansgiving, the cork blew right through the plastic cross-bar at the top of the Cork Catcher. And now, here we are, approaching Christmas and New Year's, and the Catcher is kaput.... unless SuperGlue can save the day.

I've used the Catcher several times since the rupture, but each time the cork has ignored the Catcher and charged off its merry way, scaring the bejeebers out of whoever's in the line of fire.

I'm a coward about opening Champagne or other sparklers under pressure. At the church fundraiser, Bill P., who is a beer distributor, opened the two sparklers for me. However, the method I've heard is to loosen the wire while keeping a thumb over the cork. Cover the cork with a thin towel (like a dish cloth) and then gently twist the bottle (not the cork). Bill did this and the cork came out with a pop but didn't explode from the bottle AND the sparkling wine did not overflow and go to waste.